


White Nails

by sundaze



Series: One Shots [11]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Emotional Roadshow 2017, Light Smut, M/M, Nail Painting, Nail Polish, idk this is garbage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 14:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10116371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundaze/pseuds/sundaze
Summary: The story of Josh's painted nails





	

**Author's Note:**

> ok so forewarning: this is garbage and i am sorry. I saw Josh's nails painted photos on twitter last night at like 1 am and was like ok this needs a fic written about how it happened. I started writing it last night and then when i woke up this morning i hatred what I had written but i was too lazy to scrap this so here it is. 
> 
> i hope you enjoy it anyhow!
> 
> (TW there is a make out part that gets a bit descriptive but nothing too too bad)

“Josh,” Tyler whispers, poking his head through the curtains of Josh’s bunk. “Are you asleep?”

Slowly awaking from his slumber, Josh opens his eyes and rubs them, before looking to his right and seeing the outline of Tyler’s head. “Not anymore,” Josh groans, half sitting up with his elbow propping him up. “What’s up?”

“Can you come out here and sit with me?” Tyler requests, his voice low to not wake any of the other people asleep on the bus. His voice, although almost inaudible, sounds shaky and ridden with panic.

“What time is it?” Josh sighs, searching aimlessly around his bed for his phone.

“Almost three in the morning.” Tyler quickly answers, pulling Josh’s curtains back a little bit more. “Please come out here with me. I promise it will only be for a minute or two. I just need to talk.”

Reluctantly, Josh succumbs to his friend’s desire and he drags himself out of the bunk, following Tyler to the sitting area of the bus. Josh looks outside the window and sees they’re parked on the side of the highway at a rest stop. It’s completely empty despite the one lone car parked in the far corner of the lot. A couple of cars pass along the highway at fast speeds, speeds probably over the maximum limit.

Tyler sat down on the couch and started digging around in one of the side table drawers for something white Josh took a spot besides Tyler. After searching the draw, Tyler finally comes back to Josh with a small bottle of white nail polish. Confused, Josh watches Tyler closely as he takes Josh’s hand, places it flat on the table in front of them and begins sweeping the brush covered in white paint across Josh’s finger.

Josh thinks about pulling his hand away from Tyler and returning to his warm bed, but he decides to stay with his friend. He can tell something is bothering him by the way he is intensely focusing on Josh’s finger nails and not saying a word. Did he have a nightmare? Could he just not sleep?

Tyler carefully wipes the brush across Josh’s bare fingernails, leaving behind perfect white streaks. ‘Where did he learn to paint nails like this,’ Josh thought to himself as he watched Tyler hyper focusing on his project. Josh smiled when Tyler finished the first hand and held out his own hand, signaling to Josh that he wanted his other hand. Obeying, Josh places his hand in Tyler’s and follows Tyler’s gentle pull to the table as he starts his painting again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Josh asks after Tyler is two fingers in on the second hand. He knows something is bothering Tyler, and he knows what Tyler’s answer will most likely be, but he tests the waters anyway.

Of course, Tyler shakes his head slightly, trying not to lose focus on the nails. “You can tell me,” Josh pushes on. Usually, he would let it go, but tonight feels different. He can tell something is off about his friend and it worries him. Tyler keeps too much bottled up. It must eat him alive. Josh knows he uses lyrics and writing to empty out his head, but he wants Tyler to trust him. He wants to know what’s going on inside his head, so maybe he could help.

Tyler stops painting for a moment. He puts both of his hands on the table, staring at Josh’s hand lying flat on the coffee table. Josh takes this moment to study Tyler’s face in the dim light coming from the lamps outside in the parking lot that is filtering in through the dirty bus window. His eyes are wide, almost scared looking, like he saw a ghost or a dead body move. His hair is a total mess, which is a sign to Josh that he was asleep at one point or another; when that was is another story though. His skin, even in the dark lighting, is pale, almost gray looking. Tyler’s lips are pressed together in a tight line. They open and close a few times before Tyler turns his head to look at Josh.

“Do you ever feel like everyone else?” He finally asks after prolonged moment of silence.

Josh shrugs and watches as Tyler continues to put the paint onto his nails. “You shouldn’t,” Tyler speaks softly, brushing the paint over Josh’s nail slowly and gently. “Because you’re very different from everyone else.” Tyler smiles the smallest bit, making Josh feel warm inside. “You shouldn’t be afraid to be different from everyone and not be what people expect or what you to be.”

Josh smiles and looks at both of his hands side by side when Tyler begins closing up the bottle of white polish and returning it to its original spot. The paint job isn’t as nice as Josh thought it was. Some got on the skin surrounding his nail and it is not very smooth paint job. Josh looked over to his friend who stared at Josh; more like into Josh. His eyes were looked like his mind was somewhere else. For a moment, it freaked Josh out. He was worried something was really wrong with him tonight, but he knew he’d never get it out of him.

After a couple of what felt like minutes of Tyler eerily staring into Josh, Josh gently rested his hand on Tyler’s forearm, hoping to pull him out of whatever was brought over him. Tyler, starling Josh, jumps a little and the life comes back into his eyes. “What was that?” Josh asked, removing his hand from Tyler’s arm to give him some space.

“I’m sorry,” Tyler whispered as he averted his gaze from Josh’s eyes.

“Don’t be sor—“ Josh was cut off mid-sentence by Tyler’s lips pressing into his. It was soft, and Tyler’s lips were chapped and Josh could feel his lips nervously quivering against his own. Josh couldn’t think of anything other than, ‘oh my god? Oh my god? Tyler is kissing me?’

Before he was able to bring himself to press their lips together, Tyler retracts and springs to his feet. “Sorry,” He mumbles, shuffling out from behind the coffee table. “Y-you can take the nail polish off.” Tyler’s voice shakes as he heads away from Josh and towards the bathroom. “It was stupid. I’m sorry for bugging you.” Tyler quickly disappears behind the wall and Josh can hear the bathroom door open, then shut and then get locked.

Josh follows Tyler and gently knocks on the door. “Ty,” He whispers, hoping to get a response, but nothing is heard from inside. Josh sighs and presses his forehead to the door. “Please come back out here and talk to me. You shouldn’t be embarrassed.”

Again, nothing is heard from inside the bathroom besides the fast, quiet breaths coming from Tyler. “Alright,” Josh says after a few moments of standing outside the bathroom door, praying for an answer from his best friend but not receiving anything. “If you want to talk again, you know where to find me.”

Josh retreats back into his bunk, hoping to find sleep quickly, but not being surprised when it evades him. His brain is filled with thousands of thoughts. Why did Tyler wake Josh up to paint his nails, tell him being different from what everyone thinks or wants is okay, kiss him and then runaway without another word? He must have had some sort of dream, right? Maybe he was sleep nail painting/talking/kissing? Josh wasn’t sure, and honestly, he probably wasn’t going to find out anytime soon.

*

In the morning, Tyler stayed in his bunk until they had to get to the venue to prepare for the show that night in the early afternoon. Josh wanted to talk to Tyler about what happened the night before with the nail polish and the kiss, but he knew Tyler probably wouldn’t be in the mood to talk about it anyway. Josh hoped that Tyler would talk to him during sound check, but he didn’t. He even seemed to be _avoiding_ Josh. Whenever Josh would be walking toward Tyler, Tyler would quickly walk in the other direction with his head turned to the ground. Josh needed to know what was up with him, and he wasn’t going to stop until he knew.

The two band mates sat in their dressing room in an awkward silence; Tyler was fully engaged with something on his phone, obviously trying to avoid conversation with Josh. Josh sat on the other couch across from the one Tyler sat on. Josh watched Tyler, scroll down whatever social media he was on while Josh stared down at his white covered nails, planning on what to say to Tyler and working up the courage to initiate the conversation.

Why was this so hard for Josh? Tyler was his best friend in the entire world. They knew pretty much everything about each other and they never had awkward times when they were together—well, that was until now. Josh should be able to easily sit down besides Tyler and ask him what is wrong. But his body refused to cooperate every time Josh tried to get up off the couch.

Finally, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath, Josh spoke: “What’s wrong?”

Josh quickly opens his eyes again to see Tyler’s reaction, which was nothing more than a quick glance up and then back down at his phone, resuming his scrolling. “Nothing,” Tyler murmurs.

“Something is wrong,” Josh presses on, leaning forward so his elbows are rested on his knees. “We’re best friends Tyler, you can tell me.”

Tyler looks over towards Josh from his phone, only looking him in the eyes for a split second before he looks down at his finger nails. “You should have taken the polish off.”

Josh looks down at his own nails for a moment and smirks. He’s grown to like looking down to see white polish instead of his boring naked nails. It kind of brightens his day a little bit for some strange reason. “I like having the polish on, actually. It makes me feel… different.”

Josh can feel the daggers Tyler is staring into Josh before he even looks up from his hands. “It’s gay.” Is all Tyler says in response. His voice is thick and sour.

Josh’s mouth hangs slightly agape, not even entirely sure how to reply to that comment. He’s never heard Tyler refer to something as gay like a fourteen-year-old boy would, and he never thought that he would either. But, Josh is beginning to understand There is a knock on the door, signaling that it is time to get ready to go on stage. While Tyler stands to his feet, Josh keeps his place on the couch, just dumbly staring Tyler down. 

“It’s _gay_?” Josh questions as Tyler walks over towards the door, about to exit the room, not even bothering to wait for Josh. Tyler turns around to look back at his friend, who has now stood up from the couch and has a strange look in his eye, one Tyler hasn’t seen before. It’s anger, Tyler recognizes. “You woke me up at three in the morning so you could paint my nails and then you kissed me before running off without another word. You ignore me all day and then you say _that_?” Josh continues, taking a couple steps towards Tyler. Josh knows his voice is getting louder, and he knows whoever is on the other side of that door probably heard what Josh just says, but at this moment, he doesn’t care all that much.

“Shut up,” Tyler hisses. His cheeks grow a light shade of pink and he looks down at the ground, obviously trying to suppress what he’s feeling right now. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You never want to talk about it,” Josh states, now only steps away from Tyler. “I understand that you don’t want to talk about whatever is going on in your head, but you kissing me like that last night involves me, and I want to talk about it.”

Tyler scoffs, a smile small pulling at his lips. “C’mon Josh. We have to go. Talk about this later?” Tyler’s voice isn’t cold like how it was a few moments ago. It was normal again, warm and quiet. Josh thought for a moment about just letting it go, but he knew that they probably wouldn’t talk about it later. He had to do this right here in the venue dressing room; so he ignores Tyler’s request.

“Why did you kiss me last night?” Josh asked. “Why did you kiss me and then run away? I’m sorry I didn’t kiss back immediately but I was kind of caught off guard. You were acting so strange last night and then you avoided me all day today and I thought that maybe I did something but you wouldn’t even stand next to me for more than five—“

Josh is cut off again by Tyler’s lips pressed against his. The familiar feeling of Tyler’s chapped lips pressed into his as a soft kiss made Josh melt a little bit, but not enough for him to take Tyler’s cheeks in his hands and pull him away so he was able to look into his friend’s eyes. “Tyler, please don’t do this again.”

Tyler shakes his head and smirks. “I’m sorry,” He crashes their lips together again, but this time Josh presses back into the kiss. He can feel Tyler’s lips turn up into a smile as he weaves his fingers into Josh’s dyed hair. Josh parts his lips slightly, Tyler immediately slipping his tongue into Josh’s mouth. Josh feels the way Tyler’s tongue explores around, and it’s a feeling Josh never thought he’d feel, but also a feeling he never knew he craved.

Josh has to stifle a whine when Tyler thanks on Josh’s highlighter yellow locks. Tyler, smiling even more from the obvious unsettledness of Josh, leads Josh backwards until Josh trips down onto the couch where Tyler once sat, making their lips separate. Tyler considers stopping and going out to start the show, but he looks down at Josh who’s eyes are hungry and his lips are glistening slightly, beckoning Tyler to come back. So he does; he straddles Josh’s lap, taking the others face into his hands and reconnects their lips.

Josh puts his hands on Tyler’s lower back, pulling him closer to his body. Tyler pulls back from the kiss again and looks into Josh’s eyes. He can feel the boner in Josh’s pants, so he teases him by slowly grinding down on it, causing Josh to shut his eyes and make the classic ‘O’ face, a small moan slipping out. Tyler giggles and presses their foreheads together.

A bang on the door startled the pair. Tyler jumps out of Josh’s lap, glaring at the door. “Lets go, guys!” Someone yells from the other side of the door. “You’re gonna be late!”

Tyler laughs while he shakes his head and looks over at Josh, who’s breathing heavily and his face is flushed, which only makes Tyler feel good about himself. Tyler leans over, placing a kiss upon Josh’s cheek before exiting the room with Josh not too far back.

*

Josh scrolls down his Twitter notifications the next morning. The fans at the show the previous night had taken a couple photos of Josh while he was in the crowd during ride. Josh’s white fingernails very obvious and hard to ignore. It seemed like every comment on the pictures were about Josh’s painted nails and how they think the painted nails came about.

Josh laughed at one tweet that read “imagine Tyler painting Josh’s nails omg”. Josh’s laugh caught the attention of Tyler down in the bunk below. He pokes his head into Josh’s bunk again, just like a few nights before. “What’s so funny?”

Josh turns his phone to Tyler, who smiles and rolls his eyes. “They would love to hear that story, wouldn’t they?” Tyler jokes, crawling into the bunk besides his friend (boyfriend?), forcing Josh to squish himself up against the wall.

“Yeah, they’d love to hear the story of how we would have had sex in a dressing room if it wasn’t time to go on stage,” Josh rolls his eyes, keeping his voice low so no one else might hear their conversation.

Tyler is quietly lays besides Josh with a smile across his face. Josh looks to Tyler and is met with the same long staring look he had on his face that night. Josh frowns and worries Tyler will have another episode where he doesn’t speak to Josh for almost a whole day.

“Can you paint my nails again tonight?” Josh asks, brining Tyler back to life by gently dragging a finger along his jaw.

Tyler smiles and blushes lightly underneath Josh’s soft touch. “If you want.”

Josh smiles and nods his head. “I want a different color each show to keep everyone’s minds entertained with the thought of you painting my nails.”

 


End file.
